A day in the life
by Baoz
Summary: Follow Naruto and Sasuke through parallel journeys of growth and self discovery that lead them each into the others' loving embrace. M for language and mature themes, lemons in later chapters. Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**A day in the life...**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

Chapter 1: LOUD

_LOUD. That was the only way to describe the moron that stood before him, shouting at what Sasuke highly doubted was the top of his lungs. Not just its voice, all its gestures, facial expressions…even its fighting style, there is nothing subtle about it._ _Wait…why is it attacking me?_

"You bastard! You think you can just get away with this…well I won't let you," shrieked the blond, as Sasuke Uchiha dodged a sloppy punch. Subsequently, since the idiot saw fit to let its arm linger after missing its target, Sasuke saw it as an opportunity to end this squabble quickly. He grabbed the arm, flipped the idiot over his shoulder, and kicked it once in the stomach. Feeling like he sufficiently asserted his position, and also realizing that he would soon be late for his first class, Sasuke left the now prone and newly silenced moron on the floor…to think about what it had done. _Or tried to do anyway, failure_.

*THWACK*

Sasuke could hear the idiot breathing heavily as it stood over him. _Memo to me: do not underestimate loud morons…was that…did it just hit me with its head? _"I don't know what you keep in that head of yours, but I already knew it wasn't brain cells, so I shouldn't be that surprised," Sasuke said, standing to look a certain loud-mouthed moron in the eye, now that it proved itself as a potential threat.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you think you can just come in here and..." _Why are you yelling? I'm standing right in front of you. What time is it…shit I only have 3 minutes! Is it still talking? Wow! Those eyes are really blue. I don't think blue sums it up. More like an azure sapphire…._ "…making it harder for all the rest of us, as if girls aren't big enough bitches already!..." _Damn it, I think I just missed my chance to know why exactly he wants to fight me. Something about things getting harder…and bitches…? _

*BBBRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG*

"Hn, dobe." _I don't have time for this idiot._

"Don't just walk away from me you…you…TEME!!!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Sasuke ran to class, having a little trouble navigating the halls. Some of the doors had numbers over them, some had letters, others had a mixture of the two, and at no point in time was there any discernible pattern. When Sasuke finally got to his designated classroom, he found it almost empty. Confused, he took a seat. _That was the final bell I heard, right? That was almost 10 minutes ago. Where is everyone?_ He was just about to give up and ditch when another student walked in. Or at least he assumed it was a student, the guy looked like he needed to be locked up in a mental institution. The second he set eyes on Sasuke, he just started glaring. _Sheesh, I have only been here about an hour and a half and it already feels like I have managed to piss off every guy here, what the hell went wrong?_ The red head walked into the room and sat down, never taking his glare away from Sasuke, and not seeming to care that he wasn't being sneaky about it. _You know for a guy that has love tattooed on his forehead, you sure don't have a friendly aura._

"Hello, you must be new here, I am Sabaku, Sabaku Gaara." _Okay, maybe he wasn't trying to be unfriendly…so then… does his face just stay that way?_

"Hn, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Pleasure." Gaara took out a small black disk. Sasuke just assumed it was a strange cell phone, until it was opened, revealing a mirror and some concealer. _That was unexpected, he doesn't look like a fruit to me, but I should have known his skin wasn't that white naturally. _One had to be an Uchiha to naturally have skin that fair and blemish-less, and this red headed, creepy yet oddly pleasant freak was no Uchiha.

"It is going to be about 15 minutes before any students show up to this class, gives you plenty of time to wash and cover that cut." The jade eyed boy said, offering Sasuke the black disk.

"Cut?"

"The one on your forehead, I am surprised you didn't notice, it is still bleeding." Sasuke took him up on the offered make-up and apprehensively scanned his forehead. It didn't take him to find the cut that leaked into his hair. _That asshole._

"I'm going to kill him," mumbled Sasuke to himself.

"Kill who?" Sasuke snapped his head up in surprise. He hadn't intended on vocalizing that last thought. When Gaara finally assumed Sasuke hadn't understood the question, he asked again. "Who is it that you are going to kill?"

_Why is he looking at me like that, expecting an answer that matters? Doesn't he know I am kidding?_ "No one, it is just a figure of speech."

"Oh…" was Gaara's disappointed response. _Yep, he's crazy_. "Who is it that cut you?"

"Some loud mouthed blond idio..." Next thing Sasuke knew he was pressed against the wall by the throat, no matter how much he struggled, the grip only continued to tighten.

"What did you do to naruto?" Despite the effort it would have taken to pin someone to the wall while being repeatedly kicked by someone who knew what they were doing, Gaara spoke calmly, no louder than he delivered his introduction. _All his intensity is in his eyes, and I thought he was glaring at me before, THIS is most definitely his glare._

"N..Noth…ing" His responses came out in hics and gasps. _This guy is not playing around, if I don't get out of this I could die._ He tried kicking him in all the right places, temple, pulse, clavicle, sternum, but nothing seemed to have any effect.

"Why did he attack you? Naruto doesn't just start fights for no reason. It isn't in his nature. **You** must have done something vile, something worth punishing. And since he didn't finish the job, I'll just do it for him. What are friends for?" Gaara complemented his last statement with a wink, and wound back his other hand to deliver what would have been quite a nasty punch.

"That's enough!" Immediately Gaara let go, and Sasuke began gasping for air. A silver haired man walked in with a face that was too amused given the current situation, although it was hard to tell since his mouth, nose, and an eye were completely covered. "What is going on here?" Sasuke hadn't noticed the crowed gather, but it seemed most of the class and the teacher had finally arrived. _Almost a whole half hour late, what gives?_

"Nothing, Sasuke didn't believe me when I said I could punch a hole in the wall, I was holding him as close as possible to the wall so that he wouldn't miss anything."

"Sasuke, you could perhaps avoid detention by giving me a more reliable account."

"Hn."

"Very well, both of you to the principal's office, immediately."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Sasuke didn't know his way to the principal's office just yet, and he wasn't too stoked about having to find it 2 hours into his first day at his new school. _Two fights on the first day, and twice I let my guard down. Well it won't happen again._ Sasuke wasn't used to having to keep his guard up. His brother had taught him how to defend himself well. Beside from the rough crowd of older kids his brother Itachi hung out with, Sasuke had never met anyone who stood a chance against him. _What is this school full of trained Ninja's or something?_ Sasuke followed Gaara from a distance. Gaara looked as if he had taken this trek to the principal's office plenty of times, and he didn't seem interested in delaying his arrival by picking up with Sasuke where he had left off. Suddenly Gaara stopped next to a strange mural. It looked like Mt. Rushmore, but instead of presidents, the mountain had faces Sasuke didn't recognize. One of the faces was much brighter than the rest, having obviously been added just recently. Gaara pushed open a door marked "Janitor" and held it open expectantly. "After you," he said, ushering Sasuke inside. Not knowing what to expect, Sasuke peeked inside what was apparently not a janitor's closet, but a lavish office. Sasuke had never seen anything like this. It looked like it was supposed to be a five star hotel lobby, complete with a fountain, priceless art, HD flat screens, and real exotic plants, but was put in this school by mistake. Seated at a desk on the left side of the room was a cute secretary with the strangest paperweight he had ever seen. It was a life-sized pig wearing a vest and a string of pearls.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Sabaku Gaara, Lady Tsunade will be with you in just a mom…" Just then a spikey haired old man barreled out of the office next door as if he had been forcibly thrown.

"How many times have told you to stop flirting with me? Act your age!" The Old man got back to his feet just as the bustiest blonde Sasuke had ever seen came into view.

"Says the 60 year old that looks like she is 26." The old man apparently knew he had crossed a line, he dodged a piece of, _is that door frame?, _that came flying at him and made a quick exit. The blonde haired mass of boob and muscle, who Sasuke recognized as the newest face on the mural, massaged a vein that threatened to burst from her temple.

"Shizune, order me a new doorframe, boys come inside and sit down." Her voice demanded instant compliance from all parties. Sasuke made his best effort to shut the door after he came in, but gave up and finally took a seat. "Sasuke, I just read your file 20 minutes ago, you have no record of bad behavior so I imagine there is a good explanation for why you are in my office for fighting on your first day here."

Gaara spoke up before Sasuke could say anything. "I apologize lady Tsunade, it was I who started this confrontation."

"Why Gaara? I know you had a rough time when you first arrived here, but you haven't been in a fight for over a year.

"I'm sorry, I heard he was in a fight with _him_, and I just… lost it." Sasuke didn't understand the look of comprehension that crossed Tsunade's face, and the look of sincerity on Gaara was just disconcerting. _He was ready to take my head off ten minutes ago, now he actually looks full of regret. Yep, he's crazy. _

"Well, Gaara, you were stopped just in time, but this was very nearly a relapse, one that I cannot afford. In order to continue coming to school I will need you to make an appointment with your therapist. You are suspended until I have a report from Hyuuga saying you are not a danger to the other students, do you understand."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade"

"Good, then leave us. Shizune will have the appropriate paperwork for you." Gaara solemnly got up and left. Sasuke had never heard of an apologetic glare before, but he is almost certain that is what he received from Gaara just before he walked out. "As for you, Uchiha Sasuke, it seems you have been in 2 fights since your arrival at Konoha high. This is your chance at a fresh start, people bent over backwards to get you into a neutral environment so you can be safe and excel, why then are you making enemies on your first day?" _Damned if I knew, I get here, eat breakfast, check out my books, then I am confronted outside of the library by this blond idiot, I go to an empty classroom where the students and teacher show up just before I get my face bashed in by a real psychopath_.

"Hn."

"I see, you will have detention for the next week, and you will serve that detention after school, off campus. I would suggest that whatever problem you and naruto have, you get it worked out before Gaara is back from suspension. Naruto is more than capable of taking care of himself." _Barely, although the kid did recover from my attack and deliver that headbutt pretty quickly, he's got guts if nothing else_. "But Naruto means a lot to Gaara, so whatever differences there are between you, please work them out. I believe Konoha has many opportunities for you, I would hate for you to miss out because you and Naruto are fighting over something trivial."

"Whatever, can I go now?"

"Yes, Shizune will have your detention assignment. If you cause trouble in my halls one more time, you will have to do more than just dance." Sasuke was in a hurry to leave, he was tired of this day and it had just barely started. He hadn't even been able to figure out why he was being attacked the first time, let alone the second, and now he has been charged with resolving the issue. All he knew was that his problem was loud, blond, and named Naruto. Wait..._did she say something about dancing?_ He searched frantically for his detention assignment, _I just had it, where the hell did I put that thing_? He found it just in front of his wallet in his back pocket.

Minato Namikazi's dance studio

monday - friday

5:30-6:45

_Oh hell, just what exactly have I gotten into?_

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The bell announcing lunch rang, inundating the hallway with people. People were not Sasuke's favorite breed of cat. He hated them. People are loud, stupid, and in the way. These people were worse. Sasuke could feel eyes all over him. He could hear whispers, giggling,_ eeeewwww, why do girls always make that sound. It is the least attractive thing in the world. Girls get together, chatter about like squirrels, and then giggle. It's vomit inducing._ Sasuke assumed he was topic of conversation because of his fights. This was higher profile than he was used to. The practice continued the entire way through the lunch line, it seemed everyone was tracing his progress. _This is getting ridiculous, eat your food cretins, and let me eat mine in peace_.

Just as he had gotten his lunch, square pizza and cinnamon apple crumb cobbler, a humongous arm grabbed his tray and pushed him back into the line. "Thanks _Asshole_" was all that was said. Sasuke glared at the chubby offender, he looked like an Asian Viking, if there was such a thing, and he wasn't alone, he had friend with a high pony-tail. He didn't look like much, he didn't even seem to be paying attention. _Even still,_ _I can't afford to get into another fight…_.

"Enjoy it, fatass." Said Sasuke as he began to turn to walk away, deciding it wasn't worth it. Two lunch trays dropped to the floor, and a bright red face leered at Sasuke. All the chattering and giggling stopped, even the lunch ladies stopped serving food. _Now that's ominous._

"WHAT did you just call me?" _Is he serious? Just one, one sane person. I want to have a pleasant encounter with just one of these so called students that isn't completely and utterly insane._

"You walked up and took my food from me, since you aren't a starving orphan, I naturally assumed you are a gluttonous pig, so I called you a fatass, or do you not understand English?

"You'll pay for that, you pretty boy, emo, ass clown!" Chou-ji ran at Sasuke, arms out-stretched, threatening to grapple him. _Is he really gonna charge me head on? _Sasuke wondered why this keeps happening to him today as he sidestepped and tripped his would be assailant. The oaf stuttered on his feet for a bit, trying to regain his balance before he landed ass first on the ground with a sickening thud. The cafeteria erupted in cacophonous laughter and chou-ji turned an even deeper shade of red. Chou-ji, who was not used to being on this side of physical comedy, got up and ran out of the cafeteria as fast as he could.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_The day is half over_. Sasuke consoled himself while he watched the vending machine slide up to pull his drink selection from its row before placing it gently in the retrieval bin. He rounded off his make shift lunch with a bag of skittles. Not wanting to go back through the lunch line with the possibility of it being another spectacle, he decided to eat in the hallway. _This is probably healthier than the plastic pizza they tried to feed me anyways. Heh, I shouldn't have been so hard on the poor fat boy, he was doing me a favor really._ Just as Sasuke was about to relax he heard that sound again. _Giggling…I would rather have that idiot head butt me again before listening to this._ Before he could duck around the corner someone pulled at his sleeve.

"Hello, my name is Haruno Sakura, how are you liking your first day?" The girl in front of him had emerald eyes and pink hair, Sasuke wouldn't have minded looking at her, but the way she giggled at the end of every statement and batted her eye-lashes was making him want to vomit in his mouth. That, and there was some annoying stomping and whistling that made it hard to concentrate on the task at hand, i.e. put distance between him and the annoying girl.

"Hn," was the only response he gave her.

"Right…" Sakura said awkwardly, not knowing how to continue, but not ready to end her first opportunity to talk to the new heartthrob on such a lame note. "I saw you take on Chou-ji, you must be really strong, you didn't even flinch as he ran at you." _What is that obnoxious whistling I keep hearing? And it sounds like there's a moose trampling through the hallway._

"Whatever, can I help you with something? asked Sasuke. Ask is to nice of a word. Whatever the word is for "demand information whilst shooting venom," that's what Sasuke did.

"Well, since you are now in town and everything, I was wondering, since you don't really know anyone else yet." _Spit it out_. "…or what kind of fun things there are to do in Konoha, if you sort of wanted to…" Naruto emerged from around the corner with a big grin on his face, only to see Sakura finish asking,"… kind of hang out with me sometime…?" Sasuke that question.

"You BASTARD!, didn't I warn you, stay"…_ahh shit, he is yelling at me again, can someone please tell me why every guy in this damn school hates my guts. Are those whiskers? No, they must be scars. Ha, they don't make him look feral at all, he looks kind of…cute? In the same way that foxes are cute, or bunnies, you know what I mean. _"Sakura-chan, is he bothering you? Just say the word and I'll take him out"

"Puh-leeze Naruto. Get away from me." Sakura punched him hard in the arm before turning back to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I'll talk to you later." Then she stormed off, joining a giggling group of girls who had all watched the exchange.

"You had better hope I never see you again." And just like that, the lunch bell rang, and Naruto stomped off, hot as a hornet. _Figures…he even walks loudly. Okay, what just happened? I am pretty sure I just got asked on a date, but the moron actually saved me from having to answer. What was he yelling about again? Damn it, I really need to pay more attention to his diatribes. How did I piss him off this time? I know he must have tried to yell at me about it. Why don't I remember, what was I looking at? _Sasuke tried hard during his next few classes to remember anything he could have said or done throughout the day to piss anyone off, but he drew blanks, and every time he thought of Naruto all he could remember is Azure blue eyes and symmetrical scars on either side of a golden-tan angry face. _I know that you stupid brain, but why was he angry, what did he say? _

Sasuke made his way to the parking lot, greatful that his day was almost over, just one short detention and then he could finally try and make sense of what was happening. Was there something wrong with the water here? All the guys just wanted to fight with him and all the girls just wanted to flirt with him. It was like each gender was overcharged with their respective hormones. Sakura was just the first girl to ask him on a date. At least 7 more attempts were made, and sometimes the girls would fight with each other, blaming the other for sabotaging their attempt after they were each shot down by Sasuke's frigid shoulder. _As if I don't have something better to do than deal with some neurotic bitch that wants to hold my hand and wear my jacket. Why don't girls ever have their own freakin' jackets anyway? Do they just leave them at home on a cold day, expecting their man to hand over theirs, just so they can feel loved and cared for? Who needs that shit?_

Sasuke pulled up to the dance studio at 5:30 sharp. There were numerous cars in the lot, so he was not at all surprised to find a room full of kids all paired off, trying to follow the movements of their instructor. He was surprised, however, to see that the instructor was a certain blond dobe. Sasuke walked in and immediately Naruto stopped counting and the grin beaming off of his face moments before vanished. Sasuke's stomach kicked him hard, as if punishing him for being the reason that smile disappeared.

"Are you going to curse and fight with me in front of these kids, or are you going to show me that there is more to you than being a loud mouthed violent idiot?"

"Take a break kids." "YOU," shouted Naruto pointing, "OUTSIDE!" The kids started to murmur among themselves. Sasuke, used to this by now, just waited for the idiot to make his way to the entrance before holding the door open for him and following him outside.

"What the hell are you doing here you cocky bastard?"

"Tsunade sent me here for detention."

"She did WHAT? I am going to kill that evil hag." Said Naruto more to himself, before turning to Sasuke, sounding defeated. "Alright, part of my contract with this place is that I can't refuse someone sent for community service, just don't curse or do anything improper in front of the kids, unless you wanna get us both sued. Other than that, just do as I say. Understand?"

"Hn, let's just get it over with."

Sasuke followed naruto back inside, just as he was about to go wait in the back of the room until the class was done, he was pulled by the wrist to stand in front of about 40 barely teenage eyes.

"Alright," said Naruto, addressing the children. "We are going to demonstrate a dance for you, and then you are going to pair off and do it together. Sasuke, take my hand." Sasuke nearly choked on his breath.

"_cough_ Excuse me…_cough"_

"Grab my hand with you left, and hold it just above shoulder level." "Yes, like that…no we have to be closer, like this." Sasuke found himself uncomfortably close to the scars that captured his attention just hours earlier. "Great, now, put your other hand on my back."

"No." Sasuke flat refused, he let go of the idiots hand and started to leave

"What do you mean no, this isn't burger king, you can't have it your way. This is detention, now do as I say or I'll report to the hag that you were insubordinate." Sasuke had no desire to share the same fate as Tsunade's doorframe, but he was still reluctant.

"I don't care, make me do something else, you were doing just fine teaching this dance without me, I'll stay after, I don't care, I'm not dancing with you." Sasuke didn't understand why he was so unwilling. He just had a bad feeling, like if he danced with the idiot something embarrassing was going to happen. He didn't understand it, but he knew what he felt in his stomach, dancing with Naruto was a bad idea.

"Look, normally I have to teach the girl part, then the guy part, with your help I can teach it twice as quickly, and since we have already wasted so much time, if I don't get this done, we will be behind, so we don't have a choice. So shut up, hold my hand, and grab my back!"

Sasuke didn't have the heart to say no him. He spoke with so much passion, and even pouted at the end. It was a severe improvement over the yelling with which he had been received thus far. He closed in on Naruto, grabed his hand in his left and placed his right hand right against the curve where Naruto's chest tapered into his waist. Sasuke took a moment to flatten the fabric against naruto's back so that he wouldn't wrinkle the blonde's shirt. Not quite sure what to do next, Sasuke just stood there waiting for further instruction. Embarrassed, he avoided the eyes of azure, preferring to look in the mirror behind them, keeping in check the flush he could feel creeping into his cheeks.

"Er...uh, higher, grab me just under the shoulder blade. *exhales* yeah, like that" Another awkward moment passed. "Music please." And then music started, Sasuke recognized it immediately, Foxtrot. _Heh, so, the little kitsune is teaching the foxtrot, how quaint. _Without even thinking Sasuke led Naruto into a beautiful rendition of the Foxtrot, full of energy, lifts, kicks, and twirls. He was surprised when Naruto responded gracefully with every move he was prompted into. _So, he isn't just a loud mouthed dobe after all._ As the music reached its crescendo, Sasuke did what he would normally do, and dipped his partner. Regret, and the resulting closeness, hit him like a hammer. For the first time since the music started, he was very physically aware. Aware of how close he and Naruto were. Aware of how heat radiated from all points of contact and made his stomach flip. Through the fabric of his shirt, Sasuke could feel hard muscles, slick with exertion. Just then he noticed he was holding his breath. He closed his eyes as he inhaled, bringing a smell to the forefront of his senses. A smell unlike anything he had smelled before. _Gingerbread? _Sasuke opened his eyes, finally finding the courage to stare into the Azure pools. They were so serene now, not full of anger or worry. Sasuke's only thoughts were of sapphires and gingerbread, until he heard his least favorite sound. _Giggling…shit!_ He had almost forgotten he was surrounded by a bunch of kids.

"Alright, um, can you…er…let me up now?"

"Hn." And with that Sasuke stood up, not bothering to be gentle with his cargo.

"You ass…isted me quite well, thank you Mr. Uchiha, kids, say goodbye to Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke was barraged with "thank you"s and "come back soon"s that made the decision final. Seeing no point and feeling no desire to argue, Sasuke turned and left. He checked his watch, he had only been there for 30 minutes. Just as he reached his car, he was interrupted by a shouting voice from the entrance of the studio.

"Hey bastard, am I going to be getting any more surprise visits?"

"Until the end of the week. However, now that you have been previously informed, only an idiot would continue to be surprised, dobe." Sasuke, in no mood to be yelled at, didn't give the moron a chance to respond, and drove away.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I am hoping that subsequent chapters will bring my story new readership. As always, reviews are much appreciated, even if just to know how many people make it to the end. I would like to update every week, but I will focus on other projects if I don't get enough feedback. Good or bad, let me know what you think.

*beep beep beep*

The clock continued making its obnoxious sound. Naruto tried, unsuccessfully, as he did every morning, to will the alarm clock into silence. After that failed for about 20 minutes he began to muster the conviction to get up and turn it off himself. Naruto didn't know why it was always so hard for him to get up in the morning. In his dreams he could make unlimited clones of himself and tell them to do all the shit he didn't want to do. So when he woke up in this crappy world where he couldn't just chill at home all day while clones of himself did chores for him, went to school for him, and did his homework for him, he was never eager to seize the day.

"Damn it squirt, turn off that ruddy clock, some of us are trying to get some sleep!" shouted Jariah from the living room.

"Shut up you lazy old pervert, turn it off yourself if it bothers you so much."

Naruto rolled out of bed onto a mat of laundry. He couldn't tell what was clean or what was dirty, so he began the sniffing ritual. When he finally found a full set of acceptable clothes, he grabbed his towel and proceeded to the bathroom across the hall. _I really have to get out of this dump_ naruto thought, as he pushed aside the bra hanging on the handle of the bathroom door. _He doesn't even bring any girls home, where do these undergarments come from? He probably steals them, pervert!_ Naruto turned on the water, and more undergarments hindered the curtain as he tried to push it aside. Stumbling over a pair of edible panties, Naruto fell into tub as cold water jerked him out of his morning fatigue. As the water heated and relaxed his still stiff muscles, he decided it wasn't even worth the effort to get up. He just laid there as the steady stream of hot pressure brought his man parts to life. He turned the heat of the water down, restoring equilibrium.

"Hurry up kit, you are going to be late!!"

"Mind your own business." _I'll miss the old man, but I need to get the hell out of here._ Naruto had been living in a one bedroom apartment since his parents died. With all the smutty stuff one can find for free on the internet, porn novels didn't exactly sell well. The old perv did his best, and Naruto was thankful for everything, but a teenager just needed more space than a one bedroom split between two people could provide. Naruto hurriedly finished his shower and got dressed, grabbed a package of pop-tarts and headed out the door.

"Wait up there squirt, I'm commin' with you," Jariah said as he followed Naruto out the door, not bothering to lock it. No one would dare steal from the old hermit, and he didn't have anything worth taking anyway.

"You sure do come to school with me a lot, you still trying to get sweet on Tsunade Baa-chan? You know she is gonna kill you one of these days." Naruto started the car and headed to school, it was not far enough to merit a drive, but his father's dance studio, which Naruto had taken over after his untimely death, was half-way across town.

"No kit, you are just too young to understand. Two people can treat each other like crap, but it doesn't mean there is not love there. Those are just the terms of our relationship, you will understand when you are older."

"Whatever, just stay out of the girls locker room, Tsunade has began to punish me any time you do something wrong."

"Ha, I am not surprised, she is a crafty lady. Alright, you have my word, I will be on my best behavior." promised Jariah.

"Not good enough" retorted Naruto.

"Fine, I will be on your best behavior."

"Still not good enough."

"Sheesh, fine! But there's always tomorrow!" With that Jariah jumped out of the car before his godson could hold him to any agreements. _Silly old pervert_. Naruto got out and headed to inside, it was still 15 minutes before class started, so he had time for a cigarette. He went to his usual tree, and was greeted by his friends. Shikamaru and chou-ji were there. Chou-ji didn't smoke because it kills taste buds, and that was just too big of a price to pay. Kiba and Hinata were making out as usual, and Ino and Sakura were in an argument, however this one was way more heated than normal.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Ino." Neither acknowledged his presence, but instead continued arguing.

"I saw him first billboard-brow, stay out of the way, you can have him when I am done."

"You slutty pig, you just want him for his body, but I love him," Sakura responded, albeit unconvincingly.

"Ladies, there is plenty of me to go around," interrupted Naruto, although he was almost certain they weren't talking about him.

"shut-UP NARUTO!" _Ouch, well, that confirms my suspicions._

"Don't take it so hard man," said Chou-ji as Naruto sulked away from the conversation, "They have been at it for the last half hour. At least they said your name. I don't even think Ino has realized that I'm here."

"Yeah," said Kiba, who finally came up for air when the girls announced Naruto's arrival, "it has been Uchiha this and Sasuke that all morning. Some new transfer student, and it isn't just these two, the whole female species has gone crazy."

"Hey," protested Hinata. "I saw him and I didn't go crazy."

"Where!?" asked Naruto, louder than anyone expected or than he intended. "Where can I find this prick."

"He was in the library… about 20 minutes ago." Volunteered Hinata, although when she saw the mischievous look on the kitsune's face, she immediately regretted it.

"Why Naruto?" Jested Kiba, "You wanna take a gander at the sex god himself? I didn't know you swung that way."

"The only swinging I am gonna do is at that no good bastard's face!" Naruto flicked away his cig, stomped it out with much more force than was necessary, and headed toward the library. _I am going to kick his no good sorry ass, who does he think he is, just waltzing in here and taking all the girls for himself._ Naruto stalked angrily through the halls with balled fists and white knuckles, unconsciously gathering a crowed. He walked with such menacing purpose that anyone who saw him followed to see what all the buzz was about. When he found his target standing just outside the library, there was already a group of girls stalking him and chuckling to themselves, which only served to vindicate Naruto further.

"You, yeah…You with the face! What the hell do you think you are doing!?! Some of us have worked hard to build a reputation here, and you, with your duck-butt hair and your perfectly white skin just come in here and mess things up for us." Finally the raven haired looked up at Naruto. This dely in recognition angered the blonde, increasing his volume. "You BASTARD, you think you can get away with this, well I won't let you." Screamed Naruto as he threw what he believed to be a well aim punch. The stoic raven shifted to one side. Before the blond could recover himself from his botched attack, Sasuke grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back with a thud. Naruto didn't even realize he was on the floor until he was kicked in the ribs. Naruto resisted his bodies need to double over and search for oxygen. Seeing that duck-butted coward walk casually away from him brought him back to his feet in an instant. _I'll teach that bastard to ignore me_ thought Naruto, as he slunk silently behind the retreating raven and delivered a daunting blow with the front of his head.

*THWACK*

Naruto panted heavily and triumphantly, having evened the score. Onyx eyes met his own as his adversary stood up with more grace than someone who was bleeding on the floor ought to possess. "What the hell is wrong with you, you think you can just come in here and force all the guys here to scavenge for your scraps, go back to where you came from you punk ass emo bastard. You being here is just making it harder for all the rest of us, as if girls aren't big enough bitches already, we don't need them being too busy fighting over you to notice we're still here."

*BBBRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG*

"Hn. Dobe," was all the bastard had to say before he turned and left.

"Don't just walk away from me you…you…TEME!!!" _I should head butt him again. It would serve him right. AGGHHH it hurts, okay, not my best idea, but it got the job done. Bet the bastard doesn't go around turning heads now that everyone thinks he is a coward. Bah...I need some asprine._

Naruto held his head up high, throbbing as it was, as he strutted late into his first period class. He knew he wasn't in any trouble, Sarutobi Asuma was not the strictest instructor. Shikamaru, Chou-ji, and Ino shared this class with him. They were quick to ask about the bumps developing on either side of his head.

"What happened to you?" asked Chou-ji, eager to hear what happened. After witnessing Naruto stomp off angrily and come back scathed, it promised to be a good story.

"You didn't get into a fight, did you Naruto?" asked Ino, concerned.

" I just confronted that bastard, but his ass was saved by the bell." Ino hit her blonde comrade with a binder, right where his head had connected with the floor after being flipped like a pancake only moments previously.

"Hey, weren't you just concerned for me a second ago." Complained naruto loudly, earning him a glare from both Ino and his instructor.

"Yes, that was before I knew you went out of your way to pick on Sasuke-kun. Seriously Naruto, sometimes you are such a child. Not like Sasuke *sigh*, I bet he acts like a real man." Ino trailed off, lost in her own fantasies, not remembering she was in the middle of a conversation.

"Ugh, this is making me sick to my stomach!" exclaimed Chou-ji.

"Maybe you shouldn't have eaten your entire lunch before class." Suggested Shikamaru.

"I can't help it," whined Chou-ji. "Being ignored makes me want to eat, right Ino."

"Huh, I'm sorry, what did you say hun?" asked Ino innocently.

"Troublesome…" remarked shikamaru. Class promptly started, leaving no opportunity to discuss the current dilemma.

_I know I have heard that name before…Uchiha. I know I have. Oh well, it doesn't matter, I'll just have to ask Sakura-chan out before she falls into his evil clutches. Yes, that's what I'll do, I'll walk right up to her and say "Sakura-chan, I'm taking you out this weekend." And she will be so impressed by my confidence and charm that she can't help but say yes. That's exactly what I'll do, I'm a genious. I'll have to do it during lunch since I don't have any classes with her. Yep, today is my day. _Naruto was actually excited, which was an improvement to his mood so far. He had liked Sakura for years, but never wanted to risk ruining their friendship, so he never made a move. He never wanted to force anything. He believes love between two people should just happen. Too many relationships went south because people force feelings that aren't there. He didn't want to make that mistake with Sakura because she meant so much to him. _But it's getting a bit crowded in Konoha, and I have to move it or lose it._

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When the bell announcing lunch finally rang, Naruto jumped from his seat, and dashed down the hall to the cafeteria. When he saw Sakura sitting at her normal table, sucking cherries off of their stems, his palms started sweating. He rehearsed to himself several times. His voice cracked with nervousness. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the raven walking in and immediately sakura's entire table was at attention, whispering and giggling. Naruto used this angering moment to justify putting off the event until after a quick smoke break, but in truth he was just too nervous. _What's so cool about him anyway. I can be cool. I am cool, just as cool as he is. I'm hotter too…aren't I?, _Naruto paused on his way out to assess the hotness of the Uchiha._ I'm at least as hot as he is. I am gonna smoke this cigarette, calm down, and ask Sakura out._

He found Kiba outside smoking at their usual spot, under their tree. Naruto felt just fine claiming the tree as his because he knew it was planted by his father. Years ago many trees were planted, but parking became an issue and room needed to be made for another lot. The original plans for the lot extended past the tree about another 20 feet, but the year the school broke ground on the new lot was the same year Naruto's parents died. The principal, who was a history teacher when Naruto's father was still in school, decided to leave this tree up as a memorial. The two shot the shit for a while, which helped Naruto relax.

"You're really going to ask out Sakura, huh?"

"Yep, right when I am done with this cigarette."

"I see, that explains why you have been sucking on that butt for the last 5 minutes."

"Shut-up dog breath, I was just waiting on you to be done."

"Hey, I just figured it could have been something Freudian."

"Fuck you!"

"I bet you would love that, judging by the way you have been sucking butt while talking to me."

"Eat a dick."

"Well aren't we homosexually charged today?"

"Get bent."

"...I got nothing," Kiba said, shrugging. "Wait no, I have something, call me as asshole."

"I'm leaving." Said Naruto, turning and throwing his long since dead cigarette under a car.

"Come on," Kiba whined "Let me have this one."

"Yeah, I bet you want me to cum and let you have it." Yelled Naruto over his shoulder.

"Damn it, I walked right into that one," mumbled Kiba under his breath.

Naruto went back into the cafeteria only to find Sakura's table completely vacant. According to the clocks on the wall, lunch wasn't over yet, so she couldn't have gotten too far. Naruto began searching the halls adjacent to the cafeteria hoping to find her. He was so excited, whistling to himself a lullaby his father used to whistle for his mother, and practically skipping through the halls. He heard Sakura's voice around the corner so he rounded it calling her name.

"Sakura-cha…"

"...wanted to kind of maybe go out with me?" Sakura finished just as Naruto rounded the corner.

Naruto was prepared for a lot of things, but he was not prepared to see the girl of his dreams ask out his worst nightmare.

"You BASTARD, didn't I warn you, stay away from her. You have every girl drooling over you and you have to talk to the one that I want to ask out. Don't you dare say one more thing to her. Sakura-chan, is he bothering you? Just say the word and I'll take him out."

"Puh-leezeNaruto. Get away from me." Sakura said, delivering a punch worthy of a pupil of Tsunade. "Sasuke, I'll talk to you later." Despite how badly the punch hurt, it could not compare to the pain of rejection. He could feel his eyes beginning to well up, he had to make an exit quick before he bore all in front of this conniving bastard.

"You had better hope I never see you again." Naruto didn't turn back to see if bastard looked appropriately threatened. If he did, his tears would have been obvious. They came down, hard and fast. Naruto frequently imagined the scenario of him finally asking Sakura out. Years of hesitation gave him plenty of time to picture it over and over again. A million times he asked her in his head, and a million times she responded with varying degrees of affirmative. Sometimes he could see her letting him down gently, and at these times he was even more convinced that it was a bad idea to put their friendship on the line. He doesn't know why he waited so long. It just never seemed pressing. _I shouldn't have wasted my time all these years only to have it all thrown in my face in front of that pansy bastard. How could she be so callous with me. Sakura is usually so sweet. Uchiha is the devil, Uchiha brings out the worst in people. I will never forgive him for this_.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the day was a blur. Naruto barely participated in any conversations. Kiba was the only one of the crew that had a clue as to why Naruto was being so withdrawn, but like a loyal friend, he kept his mouth shut. He just wanted the day to be over so that he could go to sleep and have a 100 clones kick the living hell out of a certain someone. _Crap, I still have lessons today, I have to have a smile for the kiddies._ With that thought Naruto decided to stop being so bummed out, he was even beginning to look forward to dancing. Dancing always made him feel so free, and that building was the only thing he had of his parents, it was their legacy. It was also his ticket to getting out of the one-bedroom shack he shares with his godfather. Remembering the good things in his life made the incident with Sakura look like a bump in a long winding road. Insignificant. _So what if she doesn't see how awesome I am, some day, someone will, and I will make sure I don't do them dirty, like Sakura did to me. I will make sure that I am not shallow, and when someone has taken the time to get to know me, I will get to know them as well. Because, love doesn't listen to reason, or cultural trends, or social pressures. Love just loves, that's all it does, my true love could be anyone. _With that thought, Naruto realized that what he felt for Sakura was not love. If he loved Sakura, he wouldn't be so quick to move on once rejected. No, something else must have made him want Sakura. The desire to not be alone, the desire for status among peers, who knows, it could have been any one of these, or something else. These thoughts comforted Naruto, and by the end of the day he was his energetic, rambunctious, happy self again.

"Bye guys," Naruto called out to his group under the tree. They were waiting for the traffic to die down before leaving, their normal routine. Naruto always has to fight the traffic to get to the dance studio in time for lessons. Rush hour traffic in the heart of Konoha sucked. He often had to commit multiple traffic violations in order to get there on time. Today was no exception as he sped down residential drives, dodging kids and puppies. Most of the class was already there as he pulled into his favorite parking spot.

"Alright kids, it's time to warm up. What do you do before you start any exercise?" Asked Naruto, anouncing his presence to the class and wasting no time getting started.

"Stretch!" they cried with uniform enthusiasm.

"Then why aren't you stretching, remember, hold your stretches for counts of at least 10, and don't bounce your stretches, it does more harm than good. If you need help knowing how long to stretch, I will be counting down from 10 and starting over."

"Ten"

"Nine"and just before he could continue, in stepped a bastard.

Naruto felt the smile fall right off his face. He wanted to curse at him, or punch him in the face, probably both but before he could decide on the order, the bastard called him out on it.

"Are you going to curse and fight with me in front of these kids, or are you going to show me that there is more to you than a loud mouthed violent idiot?" _He thinks he is so clever doesn't he. Who wouldn't want to punch him in the face? He got Gaara suspended, the jackass. He really does bring the worst out of everyone, why is he here?_

"Take a break kids." "YOU," Naruto pointed at the object of his kindled hatred, "OUTSIDE!" _I was in such a good mood too. He has to come here on my turf and ruin everything. He already took over the whole school, but that wasn't good enough for him, he had to taint the only thing on this planet that I can call mine._

"What the hell are you doing here you cocky bastard?" Spat naruto with inpatience.

"Tsunade sent me here for detention," said the raven with shrugging sincerity.

"She did WHAT? I am going to kill that evil hag." _Crap, no way around it. Well, this studio is my only treasure, and I am not gonna let him ruin it. I will however try to make it as uncomfortable as possible for him. _"Alright, part of my contract with this place is that I can't refuse someone sent for community service, just don't curse or do anything improper in front of the kids, unless you wanna get us both sued. Other than that, just do as I say. Understand?"

"Hn, let's just get it over with."

Naruto led Sasuke back inside. Instead of telling Sasuke where to go, Naruto just waited for him to guess wrong so he could tug him around. _No you don't asshole, you are gonna be front and center with me._ Naruto dragged Sasuke up front and watched with sadistic delight as onyx eyes widened to accommodate the 20 pairs of eyes which now stared him down inquisitively.

"Alright," said Naruto toward the vicious hungry eyes which were every bit as unforgiving as he hoped they would be. "We are going to demonstrate a dance for you, and then you are going to pair off and do it together." _Poor fool, it hasn't hit him yet. "_Sasuke, take my hand."

"*_cough*_ Excuse me…*_cough*" _Sasuke choked out. _That's right, writhe in turmoil, mwahahaha_ thought Naruto, as his eyes glinted with evil intention.

"Grab my hand with you left, and hold it just above shoulder level." "Yes, like that…no we have to be closer, like this." Naruto closed the gap between them and put his hand on the raven's shoulder. _Wow, I am glad that it didn't come to blows between me and him, his shoulder could grind wheat. _"Great, now, put your other hand on my back." continued Naruto, loving every bit of embarrasment and hesitation that Sasuke emitted.

"No." Sasuke delayed. _Ha, as if you have a choice_

"What do you mean no, this isn't burger king, you can't have it your way. This is detention, now do as I say or I'll report to the hag that you were insubordinate," retorted Naruto.

"I don't care, make me do something else, you were doing just fine teaching this dance without me, I'll stay after, I don't care, I'm not dancing with you." _This is great, he must really not know how to dance. He is gonna look like a fool. I R A genius. I can't wait to tell everyone at school about this. What kind of sex god can't dance? Uchiha Sasuke, you are goin' down!_

"Look, normally I have to teach the girl part, then the guy part, with your help I can teach it twice as quickly, and since we have already wasted so much time, if I don't get this done, we will be behind, so we don't have a choice. So shut up, hold my hand, and grab my back!" _Hey, that was good, I didn't even have to lie_. _I guess I do actually need his help._ Just then, the raven complied, and Naruto cheek to cheek with and Uchiha. The raven grabbed both his hands, kept hold of one, and placed the other perfectly on his shoulder. Naruto couldn't help but arch his back in harmony with the hand placed tenderly above his iliac crest. _I never noticed he was taller than me. My posture is perfect against his frame. _Just then the Uchiha fitted his hand flush against Naruto's side. _Crap his hand in the wrong place_. Naruto contemplated just letting the raven leave his hand there, but decided against it.

"Er...uh, higher, grab me just under the shoulder blade." As the raven corrected his mistake, Naruto realized he had been holding his breath, and exhaled. "yeah, like that" Standing here in the arms of an Uchiha, Naruto had never remembered feeling so grounded…so _safe. _Puzzled by this, Naruto momentarily forgot the task at hand. _Right, dancing. That's how I got here, in the arms of the Teme._

"Music please!" said Naruto suddenly, more a hasty order than a request. The intro began, but before Naruto could start his instruction, the raven began leading him in such a complex and beautiful rendition of the foxtrot, that he couldn't stop to speak to the children if he was expected to keep up. After the first minute or so, Naruto gave up on looking for a moment interrupt the number to instruct the kids, and was instead curious as to how far the bastard planned on carrying him through the number. 

_Okay, so I my plan to embarrass him by having him dance. Total failure. Crap, not only is he insurpassably hot, but he is talented too. What else can the bastard do? Hm…So this is what it feels like to dance as the girl. This is kind of fun. Being lifted and turned is way different on this end. You have to take a risk, and trust your partner to support you till the end. _

"_Dancing is a conversation between two souls, when you dance, communicate what you feel in your soul, and listen to what the other soul is telling you."_

_My father told me that, he believed you could learn a lot about someone by dancing with them. _

After many tosses, lifts, flips, and turns, Naruto could hear the end of the song coming. He thought he was prepared to stop, but nothing could prepare him for what next. He was dipped, far. So far in fact, that he wasn't supporting a single bit of his body weight. The whole of his being was wrapped up in the arms of the Uchiha. Naruto looked into Onyx eyes, but they soon shut themselves, giving over to the exhaustion that comes whenever the soul uses the body to speak. Naruto could feel a chest begin heaving against his own, reminding him that oxygen is necessary, he took a breath as well. _Vanilla, he smells like vanilla. _Opening his eyes, he could see the midnight onyx finally meet his gaze. _What was your soul just trying to tell me, what truth could I find in your eyes?"_ The answer came in the form of a glare. At first Naruto was confused, until he heard the giggling for himself.

"Alright, um, can you…er…let me up now?"

"Hn," was his answer. Naruto braced himself for impact, but instead was yanked to standing position. Blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy. _Ugh, bastard_

"You ass…isted me quite well, thank you Mr. Uchiha, kids, say goodbye to Mr. Uchiha." _Whew, that was close. Good he is leaving. _Naruto looked at himself in the mirror saw himself flushed. He also felt invigorated. _Will I ever dance like that again? _Naruto ran to the door, relieved when he saw the bastard fumbling with his keys.

"Hey Teme, am I going to be getting any more surprise visits?"

"Until the end of the week, however; now that you have been previously informed, only an idiot would continue to be surprised, dobe."

Naruto screamed after the raven's car as he drove away, but it was just for good measure. His heart wasn't in it. Later that night, as he was laying his head down to rest, he kept thinking about what his father said, and whether or not there was any truth in it. Did he really learn something about Sasuke today? Or is he just a jerk with more talent than he deserves? He thought about it for a while, but decided not to lose too much sleep over it. _After all, I have all week to find out._ With that thought, he drifted happily into sleep.


End file.
